Mistaken Identity
by Bope forever
Summary: It was one of the worst nights in Salem as a horrible car accident took the life of Zack Brady? Flash forward to present day where life has moved on for Bo and Hope and Zack/Jack is headed home.
1. Chapter 1

_**Mistaken Identity**_

_**Chapter 1**_

…_**December 31, 2005...**_

_Carissa drove her car along Boulevard Road trying to find Bay View Road. Her son Jack lay sleeping in the backseat of the car. Carissa was in Salem on business. She wanted to expand her company and thought Salem would be the perfect spot to do it. Jack was upset with her for taking him away from his father so soon after Christmas. He was a five year old boy who just wanted to be home for the holidays with both of his parents._

_Jack awoke from his slumber and rubbed his eyes. "Mommy, where are we?" He looked out the window into the night as they drove along the road. "I want to go home! I want my Daddy!" Jack kept whining from the back seat._

"_Shush baby, I'm trying to find where we are going. Honey, please go back to sleep and when you wake up we'll be in our hotel." Carissa looked at every street sing as she drove along trying to find Elm Street which was her next turn._

"_But Mommy!" Jack whined. "I want my own bed. I want Daddy. I want to go home." Jack persisted in crying for all the comforts of home, listing every toy he missed and his cat Whiskers._

_Carissa pulled up to the stop sign and reached around to try and settle her son down. "Jack we'll be heading home in a few days. I promise. Right now I have some business to take care of that can't wait. Please be patient until we get to the hotel." She turned her head to see if traffic had cleared so she could turn right onto Elm Street. She heard the back door open and Jack jumped out of the car and ran down the street. "JACK!" Carissa yelled out to him. She pulled her car to the side of the road and parked it before getting out to chase after her son. "Jack, where are you?" She called out into the night._

_Jack scrambled along the walk clad only in his pajamas and bathrobe; a Christmas present from grandparents he had yet to meet. He came face to face with another little boy who looked identical to him. It scared him to see a boy who looked exactly like him right down to the pajamas and robe they both wore. He ran away from the little boy and spotted a kitten crawling under the bushes. Jack got down on his hands knees and crawled under the bushes to get the kitten._

"_Jack?" Carissa called out again. "There you are. Don't ever do that to me again. You could've been hit by a car." Carissa grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the car. She buckled Jack into the back seat and drove off. "Why did you run off like that?" She asked him._

"_I want my DADDY!" Screamed a frightened Zach from the back seat._

_Jack ran out from under the bushes watching as his mother's car drove off. "MOMMY!" Jack spotted the kitten again and chased after it. "Here kitty, kitty." He ran out into the street and was struck down by a car._

…_**March 2, 2009…**_

"_Jack honey, we're going to a new town today to see a new doctor there. I hear she's very nice. Her name is Dr. Marlena Evans Black. You're going to love her. I've already met with her and told her all about you. You are such a special little boy. I can't wait for you to meet her." It had been a little over three years since Jack had stopped speaking. At first she thought it was because he was mad at her for taking him from his father on the holidays. She kept her promise and they returned home after only two days in Salem. Jack still wouldn't speak. He didn't even run into his father's arms the way he always did when he saw him. Carissa began to worry after several weeks when Jack kept up with the silent treatment._

_Zack's ears perked up at the name of Marlena. The name sounded familiar to him. He smiled when he heard it. It reminded him of home. He missed his Mommy and Daddy and big brother Shawn. He wondered if they were thinking of him too. He had no idea who this woman was, but she had always treated him well. He didn't understand why she insisted she was his mother or why she called the man his father. He knew they weren't._

_Carissa looked at Jack smiling and thought it was a good sign. She knew he had been through a lot with the divorce. Doug was an angry man. He couldn't understand why his son left a happy boy and returned such a solemn one. He accused Carissa repeatedly of filling the boys head with lies about him. Jack never talked to his father again after returning home from the three day stay in Salem with his mother. Carissa and Doug spent months fighting until she got fed up with it and asked for a divorce. Doug was so upset with his son's behavior that he wanted nothing to do with the boy. Full custody was giving to Carissa._

_Zack went to his room to play with his toys. He missed his family and often drew pictures of them. He hated having to go to so many doctors. The lady wanted him to talk, but he didn't know her and thought she was a bad person for keeping him away from his family for so long. He was home schooled because Carissa and the doctors thought it was best for him since he was constantly in and out of hospitals. Zack could talk, but he never let on to Carissa or the doctors that he could. He wanted to go home._

…_**Salem, USA…**_

_It took a long time for Bo and Hope to move on after the death of their younger son. Ciara helped a lot to bring them back together. She was an energetic little four-year-old who was adored by everyone who knew her. Although they had another child, Zack was never far from their hearts or their thoughts. Not a day passed without a thought of Zack. Hope appeared happy to everyone on the outside, but on the inside she still grieved for her little boy everyday. He was their miracle baby. After Shawn was born, she and Bo tried for years to have another child. It wasn't until Shawn was a teenager himself when they were finally blessed with another child. And five years later their little girl Ciara entered the world. _

_Hope looked over at Ciara who was busily eating her pancakes. It was her favorite breakfast. Zack always loved when Bo made pancakes for him in the morning. She remembered his cute little laugh and the smile that melted her heart. _

"_Mommy I finished." Ciara pulled her out of her reverie. "Can I go play now?" She asked her mother._

"_Sure sweetheart." She caressed her daughter's cheek. "Come here and give Mommy a big hug." Ciara climbed onto her lap and hugged her tight. "Thank you so much. I love my morning hugs from you."_

"_I love you Mommy." Ciara smiled up at her mother. "I'm going to play now." Ciara jumped down from Hope's lap and trotted out of the kitchen._

_Hope wandered to the fireplace mantle. She picked up the last family photo taken with Zack. "I wonder what you would look like now, my angel baby. Would you be playing baseball like Shawn did when he was your age? You'd be eight now, almost nine. I still miss you so very much." Hope kissed her fingers and touched Zack's face before returning the picture to the mantle. _

"_Hey Hope. Are you alright?" Bo looked worried when he came in the house and saw Hope talking to a picture of Zack. Their little boy had been the highlight of their days. He missed him as much now as he did when he first lost his son. The days had gotten better since that fateful day, but nothing would ever replace Zack or the memories he had of him. Tiny man would live forever in his heart. "Hope?" He went over to her and wrapped his arms around his wife._

"_Bo, I didn't hear you come in." She returned the hug before reaching up her head to kiss his lips. "I was thinking about Zack. I don't know why he's been on my mind so much these days."_

"_I miss him too. I keep wondering what he'd be like now. Sometimes I think I can't go on without hearing his voice one more time, or seeing his smile. He was our heart." Bo held onto Hope for awhile just enjoying feeling close to her. "What are your plans for today?" He asked her._

"_I have lunch with Marlena later today. I was thinking about canceling though. I just don't feel up to going out or seeing anyone today. I just need you and Ciara and no one else." _

…_**Springfield, Illinois…**_

"_Jack are you almost ready with your bags?" Carissa called up the stairs to her son. "We have to hurry up sweetheart." Carissa paced around he kitchen waiting for Jack to come down. "I hope Dr. Evans can help you." Carissa looked down at her watch. It was four o'clock. They'd have to get on the road soon if they were to make it to Salem by Jack's bedtime. She wanted to be sure he got a goodnight's sleep before seeing his new doctor in the morning. "Jack?" Carissa called out again._

_Zack walked down the stairs carrying his bag of clothes. He couldn't wait to leave this place. He heard Carissa say they were going to Salem. He knew that was home. He was so excited thinking she was bringing him back home to his family. He couldn't wait to see his parents. Zack ran to the front door pulling it open and raced to the car. Carissa looked on with a smile believing her son was beginning to get well. Earlier that day she told him they were going to Salem to see a new doctor. At first, Zack was upset that he was being brought to yet another doctor, but when he heard where she was taking him, he was excited at the prospect. _

_Carissa got behind the wheel of the car. "Buckle up Jackie." She looked in her rearview mirror before backing out of the driveway. "Next stop Salem, USA. Do you remember the last time we traveled to Salem honey? I went there for business. It didn't turn out well for me or you either for that matter. I hope this time we'll have better luck in Salem." _

_Zack sat silently in the backseat. He was too excited to sit still. He kept going over in his mind the last time he saw his parents. He wondered if they still looked the same. He couldn't wait to find out. Zack pulled out his drawing pad and drew a picture of his family. Carissa didn't like his pictures. She said there was always another person in the picture that didn't belong there. It was just him Mommy and Daddy that belonged in the picture she would tell him. The doctors thought he had an imaginary friend. He knew that extra person was his big brother Shawn. Zack looked out the window anxious to see some familiar sights. It had been over three years since he was home. He wondered if it still looked the same. _

…_**Salem, USA…**_

"_Daddy?" Hope answered the front door to find her father standing there. "What are you doing here?" She asked him._

"_Hello Princess. Can't I drop in to see my beautiful daughter without an excuse?" Doug kissed hope's cheek._

"_Of course you can. I didn't realize you were back home. I thought you went to Paris to visit Dougie. How is he?" Dougie was Hope's younger half brother. He was raised by her father's best friend Robert LeClair. Doug still kept in touch with him all these years and kept Hope up to date on her brother's life. "I think the last time I spoke to him was Christmas day….the last Christmas we spent with Zack." Hope's eyes grew a little misty thinking about it. _

"_I remember that Christmas well. It was one of the happiest times we've ever had here in Salem. You know, I never told you this, but I bought Zack and Dougie's son Jack matching pajamas and bathrobe that year. I couldn't decide between two different pairs and which child to give them to, so I bought them the same. I figured they would never know since Dougie hasn't returned to Salem in all these years."_

"_Zack loved those pajamas. He was wearing them the night he…" Hope choked up remembering her little boy lying on the ground so still. Tears trickled out of the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry Daddy. It still hurts to think about it." Hope told him._

"_I know Princess. I know." Doug hugged his daughter. "I wish I could take the pain away. Oh how I wish I could." Doug kissed her head._

"_I'm okay." She said pulling out of his embrace wiping her eyes. "So tell me all about your visit with Dougie. Why did you come home so soon?"_

"_He's having a hard time dealing with his life. The divorce was really ugly from what he told me. His son Jack hasn't spoken in years. Dougie is beside himself not knowing what he can do to help. He told me his ex is taking him to see Marlena.""That's great. Marlena is such a wonderful doctor. I'm sure she can help him." Hope told him. _

"_I'm sure you're right. I've spoken to Carissa. I told her she could stay with Julie and me while she's here. I'd like to get to know my grandson." Doug was excited to finally be meeting him. _

"_Are you sure that's such a good idea?" She asked her father. "She might hold it against you for being related to Dougie."_

"_Princess. Robert is Dougie's father. She knows the whole story behind his upbringing. I've talked to her through the years when I called Dougie. She knows I only want what's best for Jack and she's willing to stay with us so long as Jack gets the help he needs. All she's concerned about is her sons well being."_

"_I hope you're right Daddy." Hope wasn't as sure as her father seemed to be. "So when is she due in?" Hope asked._

"_She should be arriving tonight. Julie is home fixing up the guest rooms for them. I should be heading there myself to meet them when they arrive. I just wanted to let you know I was back home." Doug kissed Hope's cheek and left._

……

_Carissa drove past the welcome to Salem sign and turned to look back at her son sleeping soundly on the seat behind her. She was going to tell him they had arrived, but he looked so happy sleeping she didn't want to wake him. Carissa turned back to face the road and noticed she was driving in the wrong lane. Before she could pull out, however, another vehicle hit her head on. The lights were blaring in her eyes. She heard the crash and looked back to see if her boy was okay. He wasn't in the car. He must have been thrown from the impact of the accident. "JACK!" She screamed as another car hit her from the side and sent the car spinning around into oncoming traffic. She was hit by several more cars causing a pile up before her car came to rest on its side. Carissa's head slammed into the steering wheel. Everything went black._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Rescuers blocked the whole road while they worked to pull Carissa from the totaled car. Her lifeless body was hanging half out the door. The rescuers worked diligently to free her from the smashed in metal and glass. Firemen stood by in case the car caught on fire. Fragments of glass and metal were strewn all over the road. Rescuers helped other victims from the car accident out of their cars. They hadn't seen a pile up this bad in years. "I need help over here!" One of the men motioned from Carissa's car. He managed to free her body and tried to get a pulse. An EMT gave her CPR to get her heart beating again. "We have a slight pulse. Let's get her to the hospital." Carissa was placed in the back of an ambulance and whisked away from the scene of the accident. Rescue workers searched the area for victims from the crash.

"That woman caused this accident." One irate victim hollered. "She was heading down the wrong lane."

"There was a little boy thrown from the car on impact." Another woman told one of the fireman.

Everyone was talking and shouting over each other trying to be heard. In all the madness, little Zack lay curled up in a ditch on the off ramp. He had been thrown from the car several feet from the crash site. His limp body lay obscured from the rescue team under some bushes. Zack lay there all alone as night began to fall on Salem. He reached out his hand as pain overtook his body. "Mommy." He cried and fell back into unconsciousness.

…**A nearby ER…**

"I need the paddles over here." A doctor screamed out to one of the nurses. "Okay clear!" Zap! Carissa's body jolted off the gurney. "No pulse. Clear again." Zap! Another jolt to her lifeless body. Still nothing happened. "Let's try it again. Clear!" Zap! Nothing. "Note time of death, 7:22 P.M." The doctor dropped the paddles and walked out of the emergency room. Carissa lay dead on the gurney as a little boy struggled to regain consciousness.

…**11 P.M…**

Doug paced around the living room constantly checking his watch. "Where are they?" He asked aloud.

"Darling you're wearing a hole in the rug." Julie looked over at Doug. His face was tense with worry as he waited for his grandson and Carissa to arrive.

"She said she'd be here by nine and it's going on eleven now. Something must be wrong." Doug looked at his watch again. "I'm going to call Hope and have her put out an APB on them."

"Doug Williams! You will not disturb your daughter at this hour of the night. I'm sure Carissa is probably stuck in traffic or even lost. Although, if she were lost I'd hope she'd have the sense enough to call for directions. Just give it a little while longer before you send out the brigade." Julie dropped the magazine she was reading onto the table. "Why don't you sit down with me and have some herbal tea."

"I don't want tea. I want to know my grandson has made it safely here. I promised Dougie I'd look out for him." Doug paced back and forth between the window and the front door, looking out into the blackened night sky.

…**1 A.M…**

Hope tossed and turned in her bed in a restless sleep. She kept hearing Zach crying out to her. She ran around looking for him in the dark. "Baby? Where are you?" She called out.

"Hope?" Bo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Hope. Sh. It's just a bad dream." Bo pulled Hope closer to him wrapping his arms securely around her. Hope woke up startled. "It's okay. I got you." He told her.

"Bo?" Hope looked over at her husband. "I was dreaming about Zack. I couldn't find him." Several tears streamed down the side of Hope's face. "I miss him so much." She cried.

"I know. I miss him too." Bo held his wife in his arms as they both drifted back to sleep.

…**1:25 A.M…**

"Mommy." Zack's voice came out weakly as he lay huddled in the ditch. He was trembling from the cold. Zack opened his eyes to strange surroundings. He was still lying under a bush. He heard cars racing by him just a few feet away. Zack turned on his side to see where he was. Several road crew workers were still clearing up the debris from the car accident. Zack looked around for Carissa. He wondered what happened to the both of them. The last thing he remembered was looking out the car window before he drifted off to sleep and then he felt himself being thrown from the car.

One of the workers spotted the boy lying on the side of the road. "Hey what's that over there?" He hollered to one of the crew.

"I don't know. Let's check it out." The two men carefully crossed the highway to where Zack was lying on the ground. "Hey there little feller, you alright?" He asked.

Zack didn't say anything. He just nodded yes. The man pulled him out from under the bushes. Zack winced in pain.

"I think he's been hurt. Let's get him to the hospital." The two men drove Zack to Salem University Hospital. Zack was brought into the ER where Dr. Wesley checked him out.

"Hey there big guy. I'm Dr. Wesley. Looks like you've been through quite an ordeal tonight." Dr. Wesley examined Zack. "I guess you were one of the people from the car accident. Do you have a name?" Dr. Wesley asked him.

Zack didn't say a word. He didn't know this man and couldn't trust him. He kept looking over at the door to see if there was anyone he knew walking by it. He remembered being in this hospital before. Aunt Lexie worked here. Zack closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"I guess you're too tired to talk." Dr. Wesley looked over the patients charts. "Nurse, see to it he gets a room. I'm going to call child services. The patient was brought in without any parents. With all the victims brought in tonight, it'll be hard to find out who he belongs to right now."

"Okay Dr. Wesley." The nurse went to take care of getting Zack a room.

"Poor kid. It must be scary to be here all alone after being in such a horrible car collision."

…**2:17 A.M…**

Doug was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Carissa and his grandson. They were over five hours late and he was really starting to worry. Julie had retired to bed hours ago, but he couldn't sleep not knowing what had become of them. Doug tried calling Carissa's cell phone number. It kept going straight to voicemail. "Carissa this is Doug Williams calling again. I'd really appreciate it if you could call me back. I'm really worried here. You were due in at nine this evening and it's after two a.m. now." Doug hung up the phone just as he heard a knock on his front door. "Finally." He got up to answer the door.

"Evening Sir." An officer stood on the other side of Doug's door. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. There was a head on collision tonight that resulted in the death of a Carissa LeClair. This is the only address we could find on her. Are you the next of kin?" He asked Doug.

Doug was shocked at the news. "She was married to my son." He couldn't get the words out. "Her son, my grandson, is he alright?" Doug asked the officer.

"I'm sorry sir, there wasn't anyone else in the car with her. I don't know what to tell you."

"They were driving here tonight from Springfield. She had to have had him with her. His name is Jack LeClair. Are you sure he wasn't in the accident with his mother?" Doug asked the officer.

"You can check with the hospital to see if anyone fitting the boys description was brought in tonight. I'm sorry I can't be of anymore help to you. Goodnight sir." The officer walked back to his car and drove off.

"I need to call Dougie." Doug walked back into his house and closed the door.

……

Zack woke up startled in the hospital room. He looked around to unfamiliar surroundings. "Mommy." He cried out. Zack wanted to feel his mother holding him safely in her arms. He cried himself back to sleep as Hope woke from another nightmare across town.

"Zack!" She cried out sitting up in bed.

"Hope. Come here." Bo pulled her close. "What is it?" he asked her.

"I don't know. I just feel like he needs me." She said through her tears. "I can feel him calling to me." Hope continued to sob in Bo's arms.

"Zack is in heaven Hope. He's not in any pain. You're just having a nightmare." Bo tried to soothe Hope. He held her closely stroking the back of her head as she drifted back to sleep in his arms.

…**7 A.M…**

"Dr. Wesley." Kayla called out. "Hi. It's so good to have you on staff here again. I've heard great things about you. I'm Dr. Kayla Johnson; chief of staff." She offered him her hand. "I hear you had the late shift last night. Pretty tough night for your first day back here."

"Yeah there was quite a pile up on the highway last night. We had a few casualties from it." He said.

"Dr. Wesley. Child services are here to talk to you." One of the nurses interrupted them.

"Thank you nurse." Dr. Wesley excused himself to go talk to child services. "Hello. I'm Dr. Wesley. I called you early this morning about a child who was brought in."

"Dr. Wesley, how nice to meet you." The woman offered him her hand to shake. "I'm Ms. Brown from Child Services. How can I help you?"

"Okay, the thing is, we had a lot of car accident victims brought in here last night. The boy wasn't brought in until much later, so I'm not sure if he was overlooked initially or if it's a separate case altogether. Several of the car crash victims have passed on and several more are still unconscious. We don't know for sure if any of them could be the boys legal guardians. The police are still piecing together the personal belongings found at the crash site." Dr. Wesley paused for a minute. "I just want to do everything I can to help find the family of this boy."

"I understand, sir. Have you been able to get a name from the boy?" She asked him.

"He wasn't up to talking last night. I was just heading to check in on him. Care to join me?" Dr. Wesley asked leading the way.

Ms. Brown followed the doctor to Zack's room. Zack lay sleeping peacefully on the bed.

"What a sweet little boy." Ms. Brown said. "The poor thing must be so frightened."

Zack opened his eyes from hearing the voices. He looked over to see Dr. Wesley smiling back at him.

"Good morning. How are you feeling today?" Dr. Wesley asked him.

Zack turned his head without saying a word. He looked around the room trying to avoid both the doctor and the lady who was with him.

"Cat got your tongue?" Dr. Wesley jokingly asked him. Zack didn't even crack a smile. "Listen. I know you went through a lot last night, but I need you to tell me your name so we can find your parents for you."

Zack started crying hysterically. "I want my Mommy and Daddy! I want my Mommy and Daddy!" He kept repeating over and over. Dr. Wesley gave him a sedative to calm him. Zack calmly fell back to sleep.

"Poor kid." Dr. Wesley turned to Ms. Brown. "I guess we won't be getting his name just yet. I'll give you a call once he wakes again. Hopefully we can get some information about him."

"I'm going to file a report and see if anyone has reported a missing child." Ms. Brown turned to leave. "One good thing, we know he has parents who love him. A child calling

out for their parents like that is definitely loved."

"Unless they were killed last night." Dr. Wesley mused before leaving to go home.

…**8 A.M…**

Hope was dozing on the couch when Bo came down for breakfast. "Hope?" He gently nudged her awake. "How long have you been down here? I didn't even feel you leave the bed."

"I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to keep you up all night." Hope reached out to kiss Bo. "Is Ciara awake?"

"She's getting dressed for school. Why didn't you wake me? I could've helped." Bo asked her.

"I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong." Hope told him.

"Did you have anymore dreams about Zack?" He asked.

"A few. They weren't as bad though. Bo…never mind." Hope got up from the couch. "Do you want some coffee?" She asked him as she headed into the kitchen.

"Sure. What were you going to say just now?" Bo asked.

"Nothing. It's just my mind playing tricks on me." Hope bit on her bottom lip. "I just feel like Zack is so close right now and he needs help. I know what you're going to say, Brady. He's dead. I know. But my heart keeps telling me he needs me." A few tears welled up in Hope's eyes.

"Come here Fancy Face." Bo pulled her into his embrace. "I know how much you miss Zack. Maybe it's you missing Shawn, Belle, and Claire that has you thinking about Zack. And now with Chelsea moving to Europe to live with her mother, that has to be in the back of your mind too." Bo tried to rationalize with her.

"I've forgiven Chelsea, you know that." Hope told him.

"I know you have." He pulled her back into his arms. "I just think a part of you will always associate her with Zack's death. She's moving away and Zack is on your mind."

"I don't know. Maybe you're right. I just can't shake this feeling that something is wrong." They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Let me go see who that is." Bo went to answer the door. Hope heard him call Doug and Julie's names and went to see what brought them by so early.

"Hi Princess." Doug greeted his daughter. "I just got off the phone with Dougie and he's flying in tonight. I was hoping you and Bo would help with the search."

Hope looked puzzled. "Daddy, what search? Why is Dougie flying in? I thought you were taking care of Carissa and Jack."

"I thought you might have already heard the news seeing how you're both cops." Doug explained to her.

"What news?" Bo hunched his shoulders as he looked at Hope.

"There was a major car pile up on the highway last night. Carissa was killed in it. Her son Jack is missing." Doug told them.

"Oh my God. Have you checked with the hospital?" Hope asked him.

"Not yet. I've been trying to get information out of your fellow officers about the crash. I spent most of the night on the phone with Dougie. He's a wreck."

"Okay. I'm going to call the hospital to see if there was a boy brought in last night." Hope left the room.

…**8:45 A.M…**

Zack sat up in his bed and looked around the room. No one was there to check on him. He hopped out of his bed and wandered out into the hall. Zack walked around the hospital looking for Aunt Lexie. She would know where his parents were.

"Hey there little guy." Kayla stopped him. "Where are you headed to?"

Zack smiled up at Kayla. She looked familiar to him, but he didn't know why. She seemed very nice too.

"Aren't you a little cutie with those dimples. Did you want something?" She asked him. "You shouldn't be out of your bed." She led Zack back to his room. "You know, you look familiar to me. Almost remind me a little of my nephew." Kayla pushed the thought out of her mind. He looked so much like Zack. "Do you have a name?" She asked him.

Zack sat on his bed without saying a word to the nice doctor. He looked around the empty room over to the window and then back at Kayla.

"How about I get some books and toys for you to play with?" Kayla asked ruffling his hair. "Then maybe you can tell me your name." Just then Kayla was paged to the ER. "I'm sorry. I have to go now. I'll be back later to check on you." Kayla walked out of his room and Zack hopped off his bed to go back out into the hall again. He was determined to find his Aunt Lexie.

…**On a flight from Paris…**

Doug LeClair looked out the window wondering how soon he'd be landing in Salem. He felt uneasy going there. He hadn't seen Carissa or his son in two years. After the divorce, he flew to Paris to make a new life for himself. He was sure Carissa had turned the boy against him. Jack always drew an extra man in all of his drawings. He never spoke a word, but Doug somehow believed his wife was cheating on him and turning their son against him. He didn't want Jack to get caught up in the mess, so he left thinking it would be easier for the boy. He still kept in touch with Carissa asking about his son. After a year, he learned she was still single and their son still wasn't talking. He felt guilty for what he put his family through believing the worst about Carissa all that time. She had never strayed from him and their son was suffering while he was halfway around the world and couldn't help him.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" The stewardess asked him.

"No thank you." He told her. As she walked away, Doug called out to her. "Miss?"

"Yes sir?"

"How much longer before we land?" He asked her.

"We'll be landing in Salem in 15 minutes." She told him before going down the aisle to check on other passengers.

Doug looked out the window again. 'I hope they've found you by the time I get there.' he whispered aloud. He wasn't sure how he felt about his son. He had been so distant with him before he left for Paris. Jack would be turning nine soon. He wondered if he could ever feel the love for him that he once did. He pulled out a picture of Jack form his wallet. Carissa had sent it to him at Christmas. The boys eyes looked so vacant and lost. He wondered if his leaving had anything to do with that. His son had been such a happy child, but something happened during the three day trip he took to Salem with his mother. He came back despondent and fearful. Jack winced whenever he went to hug the boy. Doug wasn't sure if he wanted him to be found. Carissa was dead which left the boy's custody to him. He didn't think he could handle a boy like him anymore now than he did then. He knew Jack still didn't speak. He wanted his son to go back to being the boy who was so full of life. It pained him to look at his son now. He felt horrible for thinking the way he did, but he couldn't help it. Jack was no longer the son he so adored.

An announcement came over the intercom: Please fasten your seatbelts and return your seat to an upright position. We will be landing in Salem in five minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

"_Kayla wait up." Hope called out to her sister-in-law. "I heard you had a busy night in here last night.""Yes that pile up on the highway must have been a mess for you guys too." Kayla told her. "What brings you by Hope? You look like you're here on official business."_

"_I am, sort of." Hope replied._

"_What do mean exactly?" Kayla asked._

"_Okay, long story short, my brother Dougie's ex-wife was killed in the car accident last night." Hope blurted out."Oh Hope. I'm so sorry." Kayla reached out her hand to squeeze Hope's arm._

"_Her son was with her only now he's missing. The officer who informed my father of her death said there wasn't a child with her in the accident. I was wondering if a little boy around eight years old was brought in here last night?" She asked her._

"_There was one boy brought in, but it wasn't until much later. Dr. Wesley examined him. He wasn't sure if he was a victim from the car crash or if it was a separate case." _

"_One of the witnesses said she saw a boy fly out of the car on impact. Seems no one in the department bothered to follow up on it." Hope was irate over the incompetence of her fellow officers. "So this little boy, is he still here? Has anyone else come forward to claim him?" _

"_He's still here and no one else has claimed a missing child. Of course, there were a few casualties too. But I have to say, it does explain a lot." Kayla rambled thinking about the boy and how much he looked like Zack. "Of course they would be related by blood. Cousins in fact, so it is possible."Hope waved her hands in front of Kayla's face. "What makes sense? Who's related? Where did you go just now?" She asked as Kayla's attention returned to her._

"_I'm sorry. I was just thinking out loud." Kayla said._

"_And?" Hope persisted._

"_He looks a lot like Zack. Of course, I've only seen Zack in photos, but the resemblance is definitely there. And since this would be your brother's son, it makes sense he'd resemble his cousin Zack. By the way, what's his name? He never did say."_

"_His name is Jack." Hope stated. "Can I see him?"_

"_Are you sure you'll be alright with that. I mean he looks an awful lot like Zack." Kayla warned her._

"_That might explain the dreams I was having last night." Hope told her about her nightmares. How she wasn't able to find Zack. "So where is he?"_

_Kayla led her to his room. She opened the door to find the bed empty. "Nurse?" She called to the girl at the desk. "Has the patient been taken down for testing?" Kayla asked pointing at Zack's room._

"_No." She nodded her head. "He's not in his room?" The nurse questioned._

"_I see I'm not the only one with workers failing to do their job." Hope mumbled to herself. "Listen, he can't have gotten too far. He's probably wandering around trying to find his mother." Hope paused thinking about how he'd have to learn of his mother's death. "The poor thing. To have to lose a mother at such a young age." _

_Kayla hugged Hope. "You know what that's all about." She told her. "I'll start searching this wing. Are you going to call in for backup?"_

"_Yes. I'm going to call Bo too so he can let my dad and brother know." Hope called Bo and the station and started searching for her nephew. "Jack?" She called out as she went down the halls, hoping he'd pop out of one of the rooms if he heard his name being called._

"_Jack?" Kayla was searching through the children's ward looking for Jack. She thought he'd be where they kept the toys. He seemed a little bored this morning when she talked to him. She never did get back to bring him the toys like she'd promised. "Jack?"_

…_**Salem International Airport…**_

"_Dougie over here!" Doug hollered to him. "How was your flight?""Fine. Is there any news on my son?" He asked Doug._

"_Hope went to check at the hospital. He was admitted there last night, but in all the confusion, they didn't know who he was with. Hope called a little while ago to tell us he was missing from his room. They're searching the hospital for him right now." Doug explained to him._

"_Let's head there first then." Dougie grabbed his bag and followed Doug out to his car. _

_Doug and Dougie arrived at the hospital in record time. "Don't tell Julie how long it took us. She'll have my head if she knows I've been speeding." Doug laughed trying to break the silence._

_The two men made their way to the children's ward to see if there was any news on Jack. They were met by Dr. Wesley. "Dr. Wesley. This is the boy's father, Dougie LeClair." Doug introduced the two men. "I hear you're the one who treated my grandson." Doug asked him._

"_Yes. He has multiple bruises from the accident, but he should make a full recovery. Surprisingly there weren't any broken bones. I'm glad to know he has parents. I'll have to call child services to inform them you've been found." Craig told them._

"_Have they found my son yet?" Dougie interrupted him. "What kind of hospital lets a little boy run off on his own?" His anger was mounting._

"_Please sir, with all due respect, the staff and the police department are doing everything they can to find your son."_

"_Well obviously that isn't good enough seeing how he's still missing." Dougie stormed off to look for his son. "Jack?" He called out in all directions as he searched the hospital. "Jack it's Daddy. Where are you?"_

……

_Zack had managed to make his way down to the first floor without being noticed. He passed by office after office reading the nameplates on the doors. Dr. Craig Wesley, Dr. Daniel Jonas, Dr. Lexie Carver. Zack stopped and reached for the door handle. He turned the knob and opened the door. Zack peaked inside to see if his Aunt Lexie was in the room. _

_Lexie sat behind her desk going over patient files. When she saw her door slowly opening, she looked up to see who was coming in and saw a ghost. The color drained from her face and her mouth dropped. How could it be? He's dead. Lexie watched as Zack walked over to her desk. _

"_Aunt Lexie? It's me Zack. Do you remember me?" He asked her._

_Lexie started screaming. "NO! NO! It can't be! This can't be happening!" She cried hysterically as Zack raced out of the room. Lexie went to chase after him, but as she got up from her seat the whole room started spinning and she fainted falling to the ground. _

_Zack ran down the hall with tears in his eyes. Aunt Lexie had scared him. He didn't know where to go now. He thought about the nice doctor who had visited him earlier. Maybe she could help him find his mommy and daddy._

"_Jack?" Dougie's voice resounded through the corridor. Zack stopped in his tracks. 'What was he doing here?' Zack wondered. He didn't want to be spotted so he ducked into a nearby closet and watched as the man went by still calling out for Jack. Zack looked around the closet. It wasn't very big. He was tired from all the running he'd done. He sat down in the corner and pulled his knees up close to his body. It wasn't long before his head drooped to one side and Zack started snoring lightly._

……

_Abe walked into Lexie's office to find her lying on the ground. "Lexie." He gently tapped her face to wake her. "What happened." He helped her sit up._

_Lexie looked around the room trying to get her bearings. "Where is he?" She panicked when she didn't see Zack?"Who?" Abe asked her._

"_Zack! He was right here. Then I screamed and he ran off. I have to find him." She struggled to get up. _

"_Lexie. Zack is dead." Abe tried to reason with her._

"_He was right here!" She yelled. "I saw him. He came into my office and walked over to my desk. He talked to me Abe." She was in tears now trying to make Abe believe her._

"_Lex, you were there the day he died. You're the one who told everyone he had died.""I know what I saw!" Lexie was hysterical. "He was right here!" She kept repeating as she continued to cry._

_Abe wasn't sure what to do to help her. "Lex. It had to be a dream. Maybe you fell asleep at your desk and dreamed of Zack."_

"_No. He was here. I know it was real." Lexie started to calm down. "I must be losing my mind." She sat down as her breath regulated itself. She looked up anxiously when she heard a knock at her door._

"_Lexie." Kayla popped her head in. "Have you seen a little boy running around here? He's about 8 years old and looks a lot like Zack." Kayla saw the stunned look on Lexie's face. "I see. You did see him. That must have been quite a shock for you."_

"_He was here. I wasn't imagining it?" Lexie kept shaking her head. "Wait you said he looked like Zack. He asked me if I remembered him. He said he was Zack." _

"_That's strange. Are you sure he said Zack? His name is Jack. Maybe you just misunderstood him." Kayla tried to reason with her._

"_No. He called me Aunt Lexie. I know what I heard." Lexie insisted._

"_Lexie. His name is Jack. He's the son of Hope's half brother. He was in a car accident last night and he's been missing from his room. You said he was here. Where is he now?" Kayla asked her._

"_I don't know. He ran off and when I went to find him, I must have passed out."_

"_At least we know he's still in the hospital." Kayla left to continue searching for Jack._

……

_Hope walked along the corridor looking for her nephew. She passed by the nurses station and spotted Bo. "Brady!" She called out to him. "Any news?"_

"_Nothing so far. You?" _

"_No. I can't see how a little boy can get lost in a hospital full of people. We have men stationed on every floor." Bo put his hands on the back of Hope's neck and started massaging her shoulders. _

"_We'll find him. I know this must be hard on you. Kayla told me he looks like Zack." Bo continued rubbing Hope's shoulders. _

"_Yeah." Hope turned to face Bo. "I think the dreams I was having last night had to do with Jack. We should keep looking." Hope started to walk off._

"_Hope." Dougie stopped her._

"_Hey you." She hugged her brother. "I'm sorry to be meeting like this under these circumstances. We're doing everything we can to find your son. Hang on." Hope's cell was going off. "Hello?"_

"_Hope. It's Kayla. Jack is on the first floor. He was just in Lexie's office."_

"_Is he still there?" Hope asked her._

"_No. Lexie passed out and Jack ran off. I'm still searching the floor, but at least we know he hasn't left the hospital." Kayla told her._

"_Okay. We're heading down there now." Hope hung up her cell. "Jack was spotted on the first floor. Let's go."_

……

_Zack was curled up on the floor sleeping in the corner of the closet. One of the janitors walked in to get some supplies and noticed the sleeping boy on the floor. "What do we have here?"Zack's eyes popped open as the man bent down to check on him. "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Zack screamed before hopping up and running away. He ran down the hall to the elevators. The door was opening and Zack ducked inside. The elevator was full of people._

"_Jack! Thank god we found you." Dougie reached down to hug him. Zack pulled away and tried to run out. "It's okay buddy. Daddy's here now." He struggled to hold onto his son._

_Hope looked over at the boy and felt herself falling. Bo grabbed her before she could hit her head. "Hope!"_

"_Princess!" Doug cried out. "Somebody? We need help over here." _

_Dr. Wesley was walking by and saw all the commotion. "What happened?" He asked surveying the scene._

"_I think she fainted." Bo told him._

"_Let's get her into an exam room so I can have a look." Dr. Wesley led Bo, who was carrying Hope, over to a room._

"_Lay her over there." Bo did as he was told. Hope was just starting to open her eyes. "You gave everyone quite a scare."_

"_Bo?" Hope sat up looking around. "Where is he?" She asked him._

"_Dougie has Jack. What happened? You fainted." Bo was asking her._

"_Did you see his face? It's Zack." Hope was frantic. She wanted to go find him and hug him. "Our little boy. I need to see him." She got up and tried to walk, but the room started turning and she fell back again. Bo caught her once again._

"_Mind filling me in?" Dr. Wesley asked Bo._

"_Our son Zack was killed in a car accident a little over three years ago. This boy Jack is his cousin. He looks like our son." Bo filled him in._

"_I see. So the shock of seeing your dead son is what's making her faint." Dr. Wesley examined Hope. "Let her rest for a little while and then she should be okay to go home.""Thanks Doc." Bo turned back to his wife. "Hey Fancy Face. You okay?" Bo asked her._

_Hope's eyes were fluttering trying to stay open. "Bo? Our little boy.""No Hope. He's not our son. Our tiny man died." Bo stroked her hair as she started to cry. He wrapped his arms around her hugging her close. "I wish it could be, but there's just no way. Zack isn't coming home."_

_Dougie walked by the room half dragging Jack, trying to get him back to his room. Zack turned his head to look inside and saw his parents. "MOMMY! DADDY!" He screamed out._

……

_Zack broke free of Dougie's grasp. He ran into his mother's room with a huge smile on his face. "DADDY!" He jumped into Bo's lap hugging him fiercely. "I missed you and Mommy so much." He squeezed his arms tightly around Bo's neck. Bo was in shock. "It can't be." He pulled Zack away slightly to look at his face. "Zack?" Bo shook his head in disbelief. "Tiny man." He hugged him close and kissed the top of his head. Tears streamed down his face._

_Hope was watching in disbelief. "Zack?" Zack turned at his mother's voice._

"_MOMMY!" He jumped out of Bo's arms and into Hope's. "I love you Mommy and I'm never going to leave you again." He wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed her tight._

_Hope couldn't believe her eyes or her ears. Her angel baby was here in her arms. She held him close plying his face with kisses. She couldn't believe he was really here. "How?" She looked at Bo and saw her brother standing behind him with a strange look on his face._

"_Someone mind explaining to me why my son is calling the two of you mommy and daddy when he hasn't spoken to me in over three years?" Dougie asked them. "This is my son Jack." He pointed at Zack and went to take him from Hope. Zack grabbed her tighter and cried. "NO! Mommy don't let him take me away again." Zack's eyes filled with tears. "He's not my Daddy." Zack continued to cry into Hope's chest. _

_Hope tried her best to soothe him. "I don't know how. I don't know." Hope stared at her brother in shock. "I know this is my son. I don't know how this happened or why, but this is my son Zack." She kissed Zack's face wiping away his tears. _

"_Hope. I think you're confused here. I know my own son. This is my son Jack. Didn't your son die at the hands of your step daughter?" Dougie reached for Zack again._

_Bo stood in his way keeping him from getting to Zack. "I don't know what's going on here, but I think you should let him alone. He's obviously distraught right now and Hope is who he wants to be with right now. I think we should all settle down and try to figure this out.""There's nothing to figure out. This is my son, not yours and I'm taking him home!" Dougie was getting angrier by the minute. He tried to get around Bo to get his son from Hope. Bo grabbed Dougie by the shirt fighting him off. _

"_Listen man, you're not making this any easier on anybody. So why don't you just back off and have a seat. None of this makes sense right now. But I can promise you this, no one is taking anyone anywhere until we know the truth." Bo shoved Dougie away._

"_Bo? What's going on in here? Princess?" Doug had just entered the room and quickly surveyed the scene before him. "My God does he look exactly like Zack." Doug's face paled as he watched Zack and Hope share a tender moment. "It can't be. Can it?" Doug walked over to Zack and peered into his face. "My god it is. Zack?"_

"_Hi Grandpa." Zack looked up at him with a smile. "I missed you and Grandma Julie and Grandma Caroline and my big brother Shawn and Chelsea and…" He went through a list of every family member. "But I missed Mommy and Daddy the most and now I'm home." Zack looked up at his mothers face and gave her a kiss hugging her close once again. "I love you Mommy.""I love you too."Dougie assessed the scene and sat back in horror realizing this wasn't the boy he knew and loved. This wasn't his son. "What the hell happened to my boy? If this is your son, then where the hell is my Jack?"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Bo and Hope walked into their house holding Zack's hands. "We're home." Hope said swinging his arm back and forth. "How does it feel to be home?"

Zack looked around the room to see if anything had changed. He walked around quietly looking at everything that was new to him. He spotted a picture of Ciara on the coffee table and picked it up. "Who is this?" He asked his parents.

"This is your little sister Ciara." Hope told him. "I can't wait for the two of you to meet."

"Where's Shawn?" Zack asked her.

"Shawn is sailing around the world with Belle and Claire." Hope sat down on the couch. "But I'm sure as soon as he hears you're home, he's going to race back here to see you."

"I miss Shawn." Zack sat beside his mother. "Is Chelsea here?" He asked.

"She left yesterday to go see her mommy in Europe. You can call her on the phone later if you want." Hope told him.

The doorbell rang and Bo went to answer it. "Hey Doug. Julie."

Julie ran over to the couch to see Zack. "I had to come as soon as I heard the news. Hello Zack. Remember me?" She asked him.

"Grandma Julie." Zack wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

Julie cried as she held onto the boy. "It's a miracle. Do you know what happened?" She asked Hope.

"We just got home from the hospital. We haven't had a chance to talk to him about it yet." Bo told her. "Hey Tiny Man. You think you can answer a few questions for me?" Bo asked his son.

Zack nodded yes.

"Okay. Do you remember the last night you were with us? You went to sleep at your friends house. Do you remember that?" Bo asked him.

"Yes Daddy. I heard the kitty crying and I went to find her." Zack said.

"What happened after that?" Bo was anxious to learn the truth.

"There was a boy who looked just like me. He even had the same pajamas and bathrobe as me." Zack's eyes grew large as he explained. "He ran away and then a lady grabbed me and put me in her car. I cried for you and Mommy, but she kept driving far away. She said she was my mommy and that man at the hospital said he was my daddy, but I know you and Mommy are my real parents."

"That's right." Hope stroked his hair. It was still unbelievable to her that he was sitting right next to her. She kept touching his face or his arm or she'd run her fingers through his hair. She needed to feel that he was really there. "Zack, sweetie, are you hungry?" She asked him.

"Can we go eat at Grandma Caroline's? I want a burger and fries." He grinned at Hope.

"You can have whatever you want." Hope pulled him into a hug holding him close to her. She ran her hands through his hair and kissed the top of his head. "Your sister Ciara is at the pub with Grandma Caroline. Would you like to meet her?" She asked him.

"Maybe. I guess so." Zack shrugged his shoulders. He just wanted his parents and Shawn and that's it. Zack got up from the couch and raced upstairs. Bo and Hope looked at each other puzzled.

"So Doug, how is Dougie doing?" Bo asked him.

"He's having a hard time dealing with everything. First he finds out his ex-wife was killed in an accident and then he learns the son he loved and thought was his isn't. He's struggling with the fact that his son has been dead for over three years and he never got the chance to say goodbye. He's beside himself with grief." Doug explained to them.

"Where is he?" Hope asked.

"He's gone to Springfield to bury Carissa. Her family is there and he'd thought it'd be a good idea to have her funeral and burial in her hometown." Doug sat down by his daughter just as Zack started yelling from upstairs.

……

Hope and Bo raced upstairs to see what was wrong. "Zack?" Hope called out to him. "What's wrong?"

Zack stood outside Ciara's bedroom door staring in disbelief. "What happened to my room? Why is it all pink? Where are my toys?" Zack was upset.

"Zack sweetie, this is Ciara's room now." Hope tried to soothe him. "We thought you had died. We gave your things away."

"Why? Who did you give them to? I want them back." Zack stomped his foot.

"Tiny Man, we can't get them back, but we can buy you some new toys." Bo grabbed him in a hug. "We didn't think we'd ever see you again."

"You thought I died?" Zack looked shocked. His eyes were huge with disbelief. "Why did you think that?"

"You know the little boy you met who looked just like you?" Hope asked as Zack nodded his head yes. "He was hit by a car and he died. And we thought he was you." Hope told him. "His name was Jack and he was your cousin."

"And that lady who took me thought I was her son Jack?" He turned to look back in his old room. "Do I have to go back home with her?"

"No baby. You are home. This is your home." Hope wrapped her arms around him.

"Well, where am I going to sleep?" He asked as he stared at all the girl toys on the floor of his room.

"I have an idea. How about you sleep in Shawn's old room? We can fix it up nice and get you some new toys to play with. Would you like that?" Bo asked him.

"I guess." He looked reluctantly at the room that was once his. Everything was different. It wasn't like he remembered. He had a new sister and he already knew he wouldn't like her. She took his room away from him. She couldn't be very nice.

"You still want to go to the pub for lunch?" Hope asked him.

Zack nodded his head yes.

"Then let's go." Bo and Hope brought Zack back downstairs.

"Is everything alright?" Julie asked them.

"It will be. I think we all have a little adjusting to do. He just saw what we did with his room." Hope explained to her sister. "Do you want to join us for lunch at the pub?"

"We'd love to." Doug told her.

……

The Brady Pub was filled with people as they walked in to eat. Bo found an open booth near the bar and brought the family over to it. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go find Ma before she comes out and gets the shock of her life." Bo went behind the bar and into the kitchen.

"Zack, why don't you sit here by me." Hope patted at the seat next to her. She didn't want to let him out of her sight. Her boy was home. It was a miracle. She hugged him close squeezing him tight.

"Mommy you're hurting me." Zack squirmed in her embrace.

"I'm sorry baby. I just missed you so much." She kissed the top of his head.

"I don't believe it. Zack!" Caroline cried when she saw her grandson sitting by his mother. Bo had his hand on her shoulder for support. Caroline held her hands together up at her face in disbelief. "Come here and give your Grandma a hug." Zack raced over to see her.

"Where's Grandpa Shawn? Is he here too?" Zack asked. Bo and Hope looked at each other not knowing what to say to him. There was so much Zack had missed out on they still needed to fill him in on. "Is he in the kitchen? Can I go see him?" Zack went to go in the kitchen when Bo stopped him.

"Come here Tiny Man." Bo kneeled down so he was eye level with his son. "You've been away for a long time and a lot has changed. I'm sure there's a lot you're not too happy about, and it'll take some time to get used to being home again." Bo had both hands on Zack's shoulders. "Son, there was a plane crash and your Grandpa didn't make it. He's in heaven now." Several tears streamed out of Zack's eyes and ran down his cheeks. Bo wiped them away. "We need to remember the good times we had with him. That's what your Grandpa would want. He's probably looking down at you right now remembering the times we used to go fishing. Do you remember that Zack?"

"We had to get up real early." Zack smiled through his tears. "Grandpa Shawn always said the best tasting fish swam in the moonlight."

"That's right." Bo laughed hugging him close. "He loved you an awful lot Zack. You need to remember that and think about all those happy times we got to share with him." Zack nodded yes and went to sit at the table with his mother. Hope pulled him close kissing his tear stained cheeks.

"Can we eat now?" Zack asked.

"I bet you want one of my famous burgers?" Caroline asked as Zack nodded yes. "Coming right up. What can I get the rest of you?" Caroline took their orders and left to get them.

"Hi there big guy." Kayla had just walked in and seen Bo and Hope sitting with her parents. "Remember me?" She asked Zack. "I don't think we were formally introduced. I'm your Aunt Kayla." Zack shied away from her burying his face in his mother's side. "What happened to the little guy with the big smile?" She asked as she tickled the side of his neck. Zack's face broke into a wide grin. "There's the cute dimples I remember."

"Hi Kay. Would you like to join us for dinner?" Hope asked her.

"I can't. I just came to pick Joe up and I'm heading home. Steve ordered some take out for us." Kayla said her goodbyes and went to find her baby boy.

"Bo where's Ciara? I thought she was with your mother." Hope asked him.

"Maggie came by earlier and took her to the park with Ali. They should be back soon." Bo told her. "And here they are now." Bo motioned to the door.

"Daddy!" Ciara raced to her father as soon as she saw him. She jumped into his lap grabbing him tightly around the neck. "I went to the park with Aunt Maggie and Ali. I played on the swings with her." Ciara gushed.

Bo chuckled watching his daughter explain to him in animated details the events of her day. "Ciara. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Bo turned her around on his lap to face Hope and Zack.

Zack turned his head away. "Can I go find Grandma Caroline?" He asked Hope.

"Don't you wan to meet your sister?" Hope asked.

"Hi." He said to Ciara and then hopped off his chair and ran into the kitchen to find his grandmother.

"I think we're going to have a lot more adjusting to do than I thought." Hope watched as he ran off to find Caroline.

"Mommy? Who was that boy?" Ciara asked her.

"Come here baby." She pulled Ciara into her arms and sat her on her lap. "That little boy is your brother Zack." She brushed Ciara's hair back from her face. "Do you remember your daddy and me telling you about your brother?"

"Yes. You said he was in heaven. Does that mean Grandpa Shawn is going to come back too?" She asked innocently.

"No baby. Grandpa Shawn is still in heaven." She kissed Ciara's cheek. "Zack was taken away from us. We thought he had died, but he didn't. He's going to be living with us now. Do you think you'll like having a brother around?"

"Will I get to play with him?" Ciara asked.

"Of course you will. You guys are going to do lots of fun stuff together." Hope told her.

"Will you still love me as much?" Ciara looked up worriedly at her mother.

"Yes baby." She pulled her daughter close to her. "I love you just as much as ever. And I love Zack and Shawn too. Nothing will ever change how I feel about any of you."

"Hey Ciara. Your mommy and I will always love you." Bo caressed the side of her cheek. "You know having another brother around means there's one more person that's going to love you." Ciara grinned at her father. "Are you hungry?" She nodded yes. "Okay. I'm going to tell Grandma Caroline to fix you a plate as well." Bo got up and went to the kitchen where he found Zack sitting on a stool watching his grandmother cook.

Zack looked up at his father hesitantly when he saw him enter the kitchen. "Hi Daddy." He said with a half smile.

"Ma would you mind fixing a plate for Ciara too. Zack and I are going to go have a little chat. Let Hope know so she doesn't get worried." Bo took Zack's hand and led him out the back door.

……

Bo and Zack sat in the upstairs living room. "You okay Tiny Man?" Zack shrugged his shoulders. "You've been through a lot haven't you?" Zack nodded his head. "Listen, I know things are going to be a little tough for you right now. I want you to know that it's okay for you to tell me how you're feeling. I won't be mad. I just want to know what you're feeling." Bo hugged Zack and kissed his head. "I missed you so much son."

Zack sat silently in his father's embrace. He wondered if his parents really meant everything they said. "I'm hungry Daddy."

"I know. We'll be going to eat in just a few minutes." Bo looked at Zack's face. "You were pretty upset when you met your sister just now. Want to talk about it?" Bo asked him.

"Do you like her more than me now?" Zack looked up at his father.

"What? No Zack. I love you both the same. You're my Tiny Man and she's my Sugar Bear. You know what? You have an older sister and brother and I love them too. But it never stopped me from loving you. There's a whole lot of room in this heart for all of you."

Zack shuffled his feet and kept silent. He looked around the room taking in everything his father said. "You love her like you love Shawn and Chelsea and me?"

"Yeah. And just think Ciara is one more person who's going to love you." Bo told him.

"She took my room away. I don't like her very much." Zack said honestly.

"Zack, Ciara didn't take your room away. Your mom and I already told you we thought you had died. We didn't give the room to Ciara to hurt you." Bo turned Zack to look at him. "You know we would never do anything to hurt you son. I thought you liked the idea of having Shawn's old room? I think there's still some of his things in there. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you had them now. His old bat and mitt are still there. You used to love playing catch with him. Won't you like that?" Bo looked at his son's face with a heavy heart. How do you explain to an eight-year-old you gave his things away because it hurt too much to look at them. "You're a big brother now. I bet there's a lot of stuff you can teach Ciara that Shawn taught you. She might like to play catch with you."

"Maybe." Zack shrugged his shoulders. "Can we go eat now?"

"Sure. Come on." They made their way back to the pub.

"There you are." Hope smiled at her husband and son. "We've been waiting for you to return so we could eat."

"Sure you did." Bo wiped away some ketchup from the corner of Hope's mouth laughing at her mischievous grin. "Looks like your mom started eating some fries." Zack smiled as he climbed onto the chair next to his mother. "What about you Ciara? Did you eat anything?"

"No. I was a good girl and waited for you." Ciara grinned at her father. Everyone laughed.

……

"Hope come to bed." Bo wrapped his arms around his wife. "You've checked on him five times already. He's fine." Bo quietly eased the bedroom door shut.

"I can't help it. I still find it so hard to believe he's really here. I need to keep checking to make sure it wasn't just a dream. I just want to hold him all night and feel him safe in my arms." Hope went to open the door to Zack's room again.

"Hope." Bo grabbed her hand and shut the door again. "I know how you're feeling. I feel the same way. But we have to let him sleep. And we need to get some sleep. Come on. Let's go to bed." Bo pulled at her hand to try and get her to leave Zack's door.

"I can't help it Bo. I can't believe he's really here with us. Can't I just go and kiss him goodnight once more?" Hope turned back to the room.

"Hope, no. Come on. You've kissed him goodnight, tucked him in, and checked on him more than enough times. Let the poor kid sleep." Bo tugged on her hand and dragged her back to their room.

"I think I'll get another blanket from the hall closet. He might be cold." Hope tried to leave the room, but Bo stood his ground in front of their door. "Bo. It's cold tonight. I promise, I'll get another blanket and I'll be right back."

"No Hope. He's fine. He has enough blankets. You just want to go back to his room so you can watch him sleep." Bo kept her from leaving the room.

"Well don't you want to do just that?" She asked him.

"Yeah I do. I want to sit by his bed and make sure he's still there in the morning, but we can't do that. It's not good for any of us if we do that. Let's just go to bed and when we get up in the morning, Zack will still be there." Bo led her to the bed. He pulled back the covers. "Get in. I insist."

"Yes sir." Hope saluted him. "I know it's better for everyone if we just go to bed and wait until morning to see him again, but I can't help how I feel. I just want to hold him."

"I know Hope. I know. Just get some sleep if you can." Bo climbed into bed next to her and pulled her close. "He's going to be there when we wake up in the morning."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

"_It's mine! Give it back!" Ciara screamed. She pulled on one side of the toy and Zack pulled on the other side._

"_I want to play with it! Let me have it!" Zack yelled back at her._

"_No! It's mine! You can't play with it!" Tears streamed down Ciara's face as she kept up the struggle to keep her toy. "Give it back to me!" She sobbed trying to hold on tighter to it._

"_I just want to play with it. Give it to me. It's my turn." Zack ripped the toy out of her hands and Ciara chased after him trying to get it back. Zack held it above her head where she couldn't reach it. Ciara continued to cry and yell at him to giver her back her toy._

_Bo and Hope were sleeping when they heard the shrill cries coming from downstairs. They raced down the stairs to see what was wrong and saw Zack hanging Ciara's toy just out of her reach while she cried and struggled to get it back from him._

"_Zack give the toy back to Ciara." Bo told him. _

_Zack kept it from her reach. "I want to play with it."_

"_Zack give it back to Ciara." Bo told him a second time before moving forward to take the toy from him._

"_Here!" He said throwing it across the room before racing towards the stairs. "It's a stupid toy anyway."_

"_Zack come here." Hope called him over. She grabbed his arm to keep him from running out on them. "Come sit down on the couch so we can talk about this." Hope led him over to the couch. _

_Bo and Ciara sat on the couch next to them. "I don't like the two of you fighting over toys." Bo told the both of them. "What happened here?" He asked Zack._

"_I wanted to play with the toy but she wouldn't let me." Zack whimpered._

"_Did you ask her if you could play with it?" Hope asked him._

"_I was playing with it and she grabbed it out of my hands." Zack explained. _

"_Zack, Ciara is very good at sharing her toys. I'm sure if you had just asked her she would've let you play with it." Hope tried to reason with him._

"_No she wouldn't. She's mean." Zack jumped up from the couch to run upstairs._

"_Zach, come here." Bo grabbed him and sat him to the right while Ciara sat on his left. "Let's try to settle this. Ciara?" He turned to his daughter. "Why wouldn't you let your brother play with your toys?" Bo asked her._

"_I don't like him. He's mean to me." Ciara said._

_Bo looked at Hope wondering what to do next. "Ciara. Zack is trying to fit in right now. I'm sure he didn't mean to take your toy away. He just wanted to play with it. Right Zack?" He nodded yes. "You can share your toys with him." Ciara looked at him unhappily. "Hey Sugar Bear, you're used to having mommy and daddy all to yourself. Having Zack here doesn't mean we're going to love you any less. And right now, Zack doesn't have any toys to play with. So maybe you could be nice and share some of yours with him?"_

"_Okay Daddy." Ciara gave him a hug and ran to get the toy. "Here Zack."_

"_Thank you." Zack took the toy from her. _

"_I have an idea. How about after breakfast we go to the park?" Hope asked them._

"_Yeah!" They both replied._

"_Great. Let's go have some of Daddy's famous pancakes." Both children raced into the kitchen._

"_I think maybe I should go to the toy store and pick up some things for Zack so he doesn't feel left out." Bo told her as he made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. Both Ciara and Zack helped him fix the batter. _

_Hope watched them work together and noticed they were smiling at each other. 'Maybe there is hope for the two of them.' She thought to herself. "Bo, I think after the park we should head over to Salem Place. You can take Zack on your errand and I'll take Ciara to do some clothes shopping. Zack is going to need a few things." Zack looked over at her at the sound of his name and smiled at her. Her heart melted the same way it always did when he was little. She had missed seeing that smile._

……

"_Zack be careful!" Hope called out to him. He was hanging on the monkey bars. "Zack!" She cried out again. _

"_Hope relax. He's having fun. Let him play." Bo tried to keep her from going to grab Zack. "I know you feel as though you need to protect him from everything because of what happened three years ago, but you need to give him room to breathe. Let the kid have some fun."_

"_I know. I just don't want anything to happen to him." Hope went to run to him when she saw him dangling from the bars but she made herself stop. "I guess I'm being too overprotective, aren't I?" _

"_Just a little. Listen to him. He's laughing. He's having a ball. Just relax and come sit here next to me." Bo patted the bench. Hope walked over and sat down. She kept on edge jumping up with her heart in her throat every time she saw him hang upside down. "Relax Hope. He's fine." Bo pulled her close to his side. "Look at the two of them playing together. They're having fun. I wasn't sure they'd ever get along after yesterday and this morning."_

"_The day isn't over yet. I'm sure we'll be breaking up quite a few fights between them. Zack had our undivided attention and he comes back to a little sister he has to share with us. And Ciara has had us all to herself all this time. Now she has to share us with her brother. I think it's still going to take a little time for them to feel like we don't love one more than the other." Hope was telling him as Zack jumped from the top of the bars, falling on his side. "Zack!" Hope raced to him._

_Zack was laughing as he got up brushing the dirt off his pants. He looked at his mother's worried face and sadness overtook him. "I'm sorry Mommy."_

"_It's okay. I'm sorry I upset you. I forgot what a little dare devil you are." She hugged him. "Go on. Go play. I'll be right over here with your father." Hope walked back to the bench holding her head in her hand. "I was so worried he hurt himself." She said as she sat back next to Bo. _

"_Hope, he's fine. I know you're feeling anxious about something happening to him because you're still getting used to him being here. But he's a kid and he needs to be able to play and scrape his knees. That's all part of growing up." Bo hugged her close as they watched their children run to play on the swings._

"_I know. I can't help it. I couldn't save him that night and I.." Bo placed a finger on her lips to stop her from speaking and followed it with a kiss. "I love you Brady."_

"_I love you too." Bo held her in his arms._

"_Daddy come push me!" Ciara yelled from the swings._

"_Me too!" Zack said._

_Bo and Hope walked over to the swings and pushed Zack and Ciara on the swings making sure to switch off so they each had a turn with both parents._

……

"_Why are you getting Ciara a toy?" Zack asked his father who had just put a doll in the basket. "I thought we were just getting toys for me. She already has a lot."_

"_It's just a doll Zack. Look at all the toys I got you." He waved his hand at the carriage full of toys. "Hey Tiny Man." He bent down to be eye level with his son. "If Ciara has a new toy to play with, she won't want to play with all of your new toys. I know you're going to share with her just like she's going to share her toys. Don't you think it's only fair she get at least one toy?"_

"_Yeah." Zack grinned at him. "You did buy me a lot of toys." His eyes grew large to emphasize his joy. "Do I have to share my new toys with her right away?"_

"_She'll be too busy with her new doll to want to play with anything else." Zack hugged his father. "Come on. Let's go find your mom and sister and go get some hot chocolate."_

"_Yeah!" Zack jumped up and down. Bo laughed at his son's happiness….._

……_Ciara and Hope were busy buying clothes for Zack. "Mommy look at this pretty dress." Ciara pulled at her mother's hand. "Can I have it?"_

"_Ohh that is pretty. I think we can buy it for you." Hope placed the dress in the carriage. "I think we have everything we need now. What do you say we cash out and go find your daddy and Zack? Maybe we can even go get some hot chocolate."_

"_Yeah!" Ciara jumped with glee clapping her hands together. _

_Hope and Ciara made their way out of the store and bumped into Bo and Zack. "Hey you." Hope handed some bags to Bo._

"_Did you buy out the store?" Bo laughed as he took the bags form her. "We were thinking about going for some hot chocolate. What do you say?"_

"_Ciara and I had the same idea. But I think we should get these bags in the car first. I really did go overboard a little." Hope looked at all the bundles._

"_A little?" Bo laughed as the four of them headed to the car. "You know, I think we should have that hot chocolate at home. Maybe pop in a movie and pop some popcorn."_

"_I like it. How does that sound to you two?" She asked Ciara and Zack._

"_Yeah!" They both said at once. Hope smiled at Bo enjoying the happy moments they were having. She hoped it would last for a little while._

……

_Ciara and Zack lay snuggled between their parents while watching a video on TV. They had been getting along for several hours. Zack even let Ciara choose the movie. The four of them sat watching the movie when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Hope eased herself out from under Ciara who was beginning to fall asleep. "Hello?" She opened the door._

"_Are you Hope Brady?" The man at the door asked her._

"_Yes I am. Can I help you?" She asked curiously._

_He handed her an envelope. "You've been served." He turned and walked away._

"_Wait. What is this all about?" Hope called out, but he never turned back around. Hope shut the door and walked back to the couch._

"_Hope. What is it?" Bo asked her._

"_I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Hope tore open the letter and read it. "I don't believe this!" Hope read the letter again._

"_Hope? What is it?" Bo asked._

"_Dougie wants a DNA test done on Zack. He's suing for full custody pending the results of the test." Hope couldn't believe what she was reading. "Why is he doing this? He knows Zack is our son." Hope shook her head in disbelief._

_Bo got up from the couch gently laying Zack's head on a pillow. Both kids had fallen asleep. "Let me have a look at it." Bo grabbed the letter from her hand. "What the hell is going on here? He can't take our son away." Bo was furious. He read the letter through several times. "We don't have a choice in this. We have to get the DNA test done." Bo looked over at his sleeping son. "We just got him back."_

"_Bo? There's no way he couldn't be Zack. He has too many memories of us and his life here. I don't see why Dougie is pursuing this. He said it himself that he wasn't the son he knew. I don't get it. I'm going to call my father and see if he knows anything." Hope went to call Doug._

…_**3 days later…**_

_Several days had passed before Dougie returned to town demanding why the test hadn't been taken yet. Hope didn't want to put her son through any undue tests. She kept putting it off. She knew in her heart Zack was hers. She didn't need some test to prove it. Dougie showed up at her door pounding angrily on it._

"_Hi." Hope answered the door to her brother._

"_Is that all you have to say?" Dougie pushed his way into her house. "Why hasn't the DNA test been performed yet?" He asked her._

"_Dougie. I know you want to believe he's your son, but the truth is he isn't. Zack already explained what happened that night all those years ago." Hope explained. "I don't feel the need to put him through any unnecessary tests."_

"_He's my son. Didn't your son get killed in a car accident?" He asked her._

"_We thought he had been, but now we know otherwise."_

"_Hope, I know you want to believe he is, but it isn't possible. My son hasn't talked in over three years. He could very well have concocted this whole idea of another boy's life in his head. It's impossible he could be yours." Dougie was adamant about it. "He must have heard me talking to Carissa about your son and just made it all up in his head to cover how he's feeling about losing his mother."_

"_No. I'm his mother. I know my own son." Hope's anger mounted._

"_You know your son? Then how did you believe your son died that night if you know your son so well?" Dougie asked her._

"_I didn't know your son looked so much like mine, or that he was even in town that night. Zack was…I mean your son was unconscious. I didn't have a conversation with him or I would've known he wasn't mine. How can Zack remember so much about his life here if he isn't really Zack?" She asked him._

"_Like I said, he must have heard stories about him from me. Where is he by the way? I think the only way we're going to settle this is to go have the test done." Dougie looked around for signs of Zack._

"_He's at school." Hope told him. "And I'm not getting the test done."_

"_Jack is home schooled. And we will be getting the test done. I have a court order!" Dougie yelled at her._

"_Zack is in school. Bo and I thought it best for him to resume a normal schedule." Hope grabbed her cell phone and started dialing Bo's number. "Bo? How soon can you get home?" She asked him._

"_Hope? Is there a problem?" Bo asked her._

"_Not yet, but there could be."_

"_I'm on my way." _

_Hope hung up her phone and walked over to the door opening it. "I think it's time for you to leave."_

"_This isn't over Hope. He's my son and I will get him back." Dougie brushed past her on his way out. "There was no need to call in the cops." Hope slammed the door on him and went to call Uncle Mickey._

……

"_Hope are you okay?" Bo asked before kissing her. "What's going on?" He looked around the room for signs of trouble._

"_Dougie was here demanding we get Zack tested. He's not giving up. He seems to think Zack made everything up to cover his grief over losing Carissa. I don't know what to do. I called Uncle Mickey and he's on his way here now." Hope stood with one hand on her hips on the verge of tears._

"_Hope, come here." Bo held her in his embrace. "There's nothing he can do to take Zack away from us. We'll get the test done just to prove to him it's Zack and not his son." Bo tried to comfort her._

"_I hope you're right. I don't want to lose Zack again." _

"_We're not going to." Bo let Hope go to answer the ringing doorbell. "Hey Mickey. Come on in." _

"_Hope." Mickey hugged her. "Where's this court order you received?" Hope went to get the letter. "Let me have a look at this." Mickey read over the order and folded it back up into the envelope. "It looks like you don't have a choice in the matter. You have to get your son tested. There's no way around it."_

"_But can he sue me for custody when the tests turn out in our favor?" Hope asked him._

"_I think we should get the tests done with before we get into anything else." Mickey told her._

"_Uncle Mickey? What aren't you telling me?" Hope's eyes pleaded with him._

"_It's possible he could still sue for custody even if the tests prove he's not his son. He could argue he has been the boys legal guardian for the past three years." Mickey explained._

"_But it isn't his son. Why would he even want to keep him from me? He hasn't even been with him since the divorce." Hope's eyes watered thinking it was possible she could lose her son again._

"_Even if he hadn't seen him in awhile, he did have shared custody with his ex-wife. Hope, I don't know why he would want to keep Zack knowing he isn't his son. Let's get the tests done and then we'll have more to fight him on this." Mickey hugged her and said his goodbyes._

"_Bo?" Hope fell into his embrace as tears streamed down her face. "We can't lose him again."_

"_I'm not about to let that happen. I'll do whatever I can to keep him from taking our son away." Bo held onto Hope gently stroking her hair._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Will it hurt?" Zack looked up at his Aunt Kayla who was going to run the DNA test.

"You'll just feel a little prick and then it will be all over with." Kayla ruffled his light brown hair.

"Kayla how long before we get the results?" Hope held on to Zack's hand as Kayla withdrew the blood from his arm.

"There you go big guy." Kayla placed a bandage on his arm. "The test should take about five days, but I'm going to put a rush on it." Kayla took the tube of blood and put it beside Bo, Hope, and Dougie's samples. "I've got to get these down to the lab. Don't worry about it. We already know he's your son." Kayla smiled at Zack and waved goodbye.

"Can we go home now?" Zach looked up at his mother.

"Sure. We just have to stop by the pub and pick up your sister." Hope took Zack's hand and led him to the lounge where Bo was waiting.

"Hey Buddy." Dougie went to hug Zack, but he pushed him away. "I just want to make sure you're okay.""Why wouldn't he be? He's with his parents." Bo told him. "We complied with the courts and had the test done, not that it matters. It's only a matter of time before you learn the truth and this will be over with."

"It's only getting started. Once you learn the truth I'll be taking my son and heading back home to France." Zack's eyes widened in fear.

"I don't think so. You got what you wanted. We had the test, so why don't you back off and leave us alone?" Bo glared at him.

"Dougie, I think it's best for everyone if you leave Zack and us alone until all of this is settled. I hope once you learn the truth we can put this behind us." Hope tried reasoning with him.

"When I get my son back, then maybe I'll think about putting this behind me." Dougie backed off and looked down at Zack. "Jack, stop this little charade. Tell them the truth and we can go home."

"MY NAME IS ZACK!" Zack cried out to him. He grabbed his mother's hand and held on tightly.

"Ready?' Bo asked taking Zack's other hand. "I think it's time to get out of here." Bo stared at Dougie before turning to leave with his family. "Did Kayla say how long it would be?"

"She said it would be about five days, but she's going to put a rush on it. She knows how anxious we are to get the results." Hope squeezed Zack's hand lightly. "You okay baby?"

"Yeah." Zack walked down the hall with his parents looking back at Dougie who stood in the hall staring after him.

……

"Hey Mom." Hope opened her front door to find her son, his wife and child standing on her doorstep.

"Shawn!" Hope grabbed him into a hug, kissing his cheek. "I'm so happy to see you. Come here Belle." She hugged her daughter-in-law.

"Hi Grandma." Claire reached up to hug her.

"Hi Claire." Hope pulled her granddaughter into a tight bear hug. "I missed you so so much." She pulled away to look at her. "Let me see you. I think you've grown three inches since I last saw you. What's your daddy been feeding you?" She jokingly asked.

"Fish." Claire exclaimed. Belle, Shawn, and Hope laughed.

"Where's Zack?" Shawn asked her.

"He's upstairs playing with Ciara. He's going to be so surprised to see you. What am I saying. I'm surprised to see you. Come her my son." Hope pulled Shawn into another hug. "I've missed you all so much."

"We missed you too." Shawn grinned at her. "We had to come straight home after you called to tell us about Zack. I still can't believe he's alive."

"Sometimes when I wake up I have to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I must look in on him ten times a night to make sure he's really in his bed sleeping. Of course if I had it my way, I wouldn't leave his room at all, but your dad thinks I'm smothering him. And I guess I am a little. I just can't help it. He was gone for so long and I never thought I'd ever see him again." Hope's eyes teared up.

"Come here Mom." Shawn hugged her. "Is Dad here?"

"No. He just went to get some take out from the Burger Barn. I should call him and tell him to bring more food." Hope went to get her cell.

"We'll be upstairs. I want to go surprise Zack." Shawn led his family upstairs to find his little brother.

"Hey Buddy." Shawn pushed the door to his old room open and Zack ran to his arms.

"SHAWN!" He grinned at his brother and jumped into his arms hugging him tightly around the neck.

"Zack. It's so good to see you little brother." Shawn held onto him with tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe he was really holding his baby brother and it wasn't a dream.

Ciara watched her two brothers and looked on sadly. Her brother Shawn hadn't even said hi to her. Belle watched her face and went to her to give her a hug. "Hi Ciara. Look who's here." She grabbed Claire's hand and brought her over to Ciara. "Do you remember Claire?" She asked her.

Ciara nodded yes and hugged her niece. "Want to play with us?" She asked her.

"Yeah!" Claire yelled.

"Hey Ciara." Shawn picked his little sister up into his arms. "I missed you baby girl." Shawn kissed her cheek and tickled her belly.

Ciara hugged him back, but said nothing. She could tell her brother was happier to see Zack than he was her. Shawn put her down and went back to Zack. "I can't believe how much you've grown buddy." Shawn ruffled the top of Zack's hair.

"Want to go play catch with me?" Zack beamed up at him. "Daddy bought me a new ball and mitt."

"I'd love to. Let's go." Shawn and Zack went to grab their gear out of Zack's closet.

Belle watched Ciara's face sadden as she watched her two brother's playing together. "Hey Ciara. You know your brother missed you so much. He talked about you every day that we were gone. He loved the pictures you sent him and we hung them up all over the boat." Ciara looked on as her brothers grabbed a ball and some mitts and left the room. Belle held onto her. "Ciara. Shawn loves you. He just missed Zack so much and it's been so very long since he's seen him. Even longer than you've been alive." Ciara looked up at her with glazed eyes. "Come here baby." Belle held her close. "He loves you just as much. I promise." She kissed her head and rocked her in her arms as Ciara cried.

……

"Sailor man. When did you get back?" Bo grabbed his son in a hug.

"We just got here a little while ago. Didn't Mom call you?" Shawn asked him.

"She called to tell me to bring some more food because we had company, but she didn't mention who." Bo ducked as Zack through a ball his way. "I see you two are catching up. I'll go bring the food in and call you when everything is set up." Bo hugged Shawn again. "It's good to see you son."

"Bo did you see Shawn out back?" Hope asked as he came in through the kitchen door. She was grinning from ear to ear. Both her boys were home. She couldn't be happier.

Bo kissed her and placed the food on the table. "That was sneaky of you calling to tell me we had company without saying who it was." Hope slapped his behind playfully and then wrapped her arms around him. "Come here." He turned around to face her and kissed her again. "We have all our kids here. Isn't it great?" Bo was grinning as much as Hope was. He continued to kiss her as Belle walked into the kitchen.

"I see not much has changed since I left." Belle laughed.

"Hey Belle." Bo went to hug his daughter-in-law. "Where's Claire?" He asked looking around to see her.

"She's upstairs playing with Ciara. I think we should leave them alone right now. Ciara needs someone her own age to take her mind off things." Belle told him.

"What do you mean?" Bo and Hope both asked at once.

"Ciara watched the reuniting scene between her two brothers and felt a little left out. I think having Claire here to play with right now will help. She looked really hurt that Shawn went to Zack first and didn't even notice her right away. It's understandable that he would, because it's been so long since he saw Zack and thinking he was dead all these years. Ciara's so young, she doesn't understand what's going on and it's hurting her."

"We've been doing our best to make sure she knows she hasn't lost her place in the family. Zack too for that matter. It's just as hard on him to come home and find out he has a little sister. They're both fighting each other for our love and attention and really we love them both the same." Hope and Belle chatted about the situation and soon changed the subject to Belle and Shawn's travels. Bo set up the table and called out to the boys to come in and eat. "I'm going to go get the girls." He went up to Ciara's room and gently pushed open the door and watched the two girls playing. Ciara was playing with Claire, but her heart wasn't in it. Bo could see how sad she looked. He walked into the room and picked both girls up into his arms. "How are my girls doing?" Ciara's face brightened when she saw her father. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "How's my Sugar Bear?" Bo asked put her head down on his shoulder and said nothing.

"Hey Claire. Look at you. You're getting to be a big girl now." Bo smiled at his granddaughter.

"I'm six now Grandpa." Claire held up her fingers to emphasize the fact. Bo laughed. "Are you girls hungry? I brought back a ton of food and I need you two to help me eat it all. Think you can do that?" Bo asked as he carried the two girls downstairs.

Claire laughed. "You're funny Grandpa. We're little. We can't eat a ton of food." She said as seriously as she could manage.

Bo laughed at the look she gave him. "How about you Ciara? Think you can eat a ton of food?" Bo walked into the kitchen still holding both girls and set them down into their seats. Ciara didn't answer him. "Hey Sugar Bear. You have a smile in there for me." He caressed the side of her cheek. Ciara looked up at him sadly and cracked a half smile for him. "You call that a smile. You can do better than that." Bo tickled her belly until she squealed with laughter. "Much better. Give me a kiss." Ciara wrapped her arms around her father's neck and kissed him.

"Hey Ciara, guess what?" Shawn asked her. "I have a bunch of presents I brought back for you. Every time we stopped somewhere we bought you something. You should see how many gifts we have. There's a whole suitcase full of them."

"Can I have them now?" Ciara asked Shawn.

"How about we eat first and then I'll go get them for you." Shawn told her. "I'm so glad I'm home so I can see how much you've grown. You're catching up to Claire." Shawn tickled her side playfully. Ciara smiled up at him giggling. They finished eating and Shawn suggested he and Belle take the kids out for ice cream.

……

For the next few days, Bo and Hope enjoyed the time they had with their family. Shawn and Zack played catch almost daily and Claire and Ciara stayed secluded in Ciara's room playing with her new toys from Shawn. She was having so much fun with Claire, she hardly noticed her brother Zack and didn't seem to mind the attention Shawn was lavishing on him. They spent their evenings gathered in the living room talking about Shawn and Belle's travels and how things had changed from when Shawn had traveled around the world with his parents. Some nights they spent playing games and watching TV. It wasn't until the fifth day of Shawn and his family being home, that things changed.

Hope paced around the living room waiting for the phone to ring. She kept glancing at the clock every five minutes and repeatedly checked her cell for missed messages.

"Mom would you relax! If Aunt Kayla said she'd have the results today, I'm sure she'll call as soon as they're in. What are you so worried about anyway? We already know he's Zack so what's the problem?" Shawn asked her.

"I just want this to be over with so we can get on with our lives." Hope went back to pacing glancing down at her watch and back at her cell phone.

"Mom would you sit down and relax. You're starting to make me nervous. He's really Zack." Shawn went over to his mother and led her to the couch to sit beside him and Belle.

"I know he's Zack. I just don't know what my brother is going to do once we get the results of the test." Hope glanced at her watch again.

"How can you call him your brother after everything he's putting this family through?" Shawn was mortified. "He was raised by someone else. It's not like he's been here as part of this family.""Shawn regardless of what he's done, he's still my brother. He's been through a lot and grief can do things to a person to change them. I'm sure once he knows that his son is dead and this is Zack, he'll back off." Hope glanced over at Zack who was playing Chutes and Ladders with Ciara and Claire. He looked up at her with a worried look in his eyes. The tension was getting to him as well. Hope smiled at him hoping if he saw she was okay, he wouldn't be so anxious about the test too. "I'm going to call Kayla and see if she has any news."

"I still don't see how you can consider that jerk family. He doesn't deserve to have you in his life." Shawn grabbed a pillow gripping it in his hands trying to control his anger.

"Shawn can we just drop this for now? Why don't we wait to see what happens before you write my brother off for good." Hope grabbed her cell and went into the kitchen to call Kayla. "Hey Kay it's Hope. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you heard anything yet?""Hope I know how anxious you are to have the results. I'm doing everything I can to get them for you. It won't be much longer. I promise. I'll call you as soon as I hear anything." Kayla told her.

"Maybe I should come down there and wait for them." Hope thought the sooner this was over the better.

"Hope I'll call as soon as I get them. Don't worry so much. Everything will be fine." Kayla tried to reassure her, but Hope had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt even when Dougie knew the truth, it would still be far from over. She went back to the living room to wait for Kayla's call.

Bo burst through the front door and went over to Hope. "Is there any news yet?"

"No. Kayla said she'd call as soon as she got the results." Hope went into Bo's embrace. "I hope we hear something soon.""You're not having any doubts are you?" Bo pulled her slightly away from him looking at her questioningly.

"Of course I don't. I just want this to be over with so we can all breathe a little easier." Hope pulled Bo closer to her. "I want our lives to go back to normal again." Hope jumped when she heard the phone ring. "Hello?" She yelled into the phone as she picked it up."Hope I have the results. Zack is 99.9% yours and Bo's. I wanted you to be the first to know. I'm going to call Dougie now." "Thanks Kay." Hope hung up the phone and turned to Bo with a smile. "She's calling Dougie to tell him the news.""I told you everything would work out just fine. See, we have nothing to worry about." Bo hugged her. "Come here Tiny Man." Bo called to Zack. "Guess what?"

Zack ran to his father. "What Daddy?"

"You're home. No one can ever take you away." Bo hugged his son feeling a sense of relief. Dougie couldn't do anything to come between his family again.

The celebration was to be short lived. After hearing the news that he was a 47.1% match, Dougie called his lawyers and pressed forward with the custody battle. "There's obviously a slight chance he could be mine and I want him back. I have legal custody of him. How soon can I get an injunction to return him to me?" He asked his lawyer. Kayla had explained to him since he and Hope were biological sister and brother, he would have a biological match to Zack because he was his uncle but not his father. Dougie didn't want to hear anything after he learned there was a slight match. He wanted his son back. He was all he had left in his life now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hey Uncle Mickey. How are you?" Hope greeted him at the door. "Dad. Julie. Okay, am I missing something here?" Hope asked as they came in one after the other. "I'm happy to see all of you, but why are you all here? It's a little late for a visit. Is something wrong?" Hope looked at them curiously with one eyebrow arched.

"I'm afraid I'm here on official business." Mickey told her. "It seems Dougie is moving forward with the custody hearing.""What? How is that even possible?" Hope looked stunned. "It's just been proven to him Zack is my son, not his. How can he still fight me for custody?" Doug wrapped an arm around his daughter to comfort her.

"He claims there's a slight chance he could be his based on the DNA results. He also has court papers declaring him the sole guardian to his son Jack upon the death of his ex-wife. So now it's just a matter of proving to the court that he is indeed Zack and you are his legal guardian." Mickey explained to her.

"Hope, what's going on?" Bo came downstairs from putting Ciara to bed and saw the serious looks on everyone's faces.

"Uncle Mickey just informed me that Dougie is going ahead with the custody hearing. Dougie seems to think there is still a possibility that Zack is his son." Hope explained.

Bo looked confused. "How? It's been proven to him Zack is our son, not his."

"He has a lawyer who's pushing the case based on the small percentage of a match. Which I know," Mickey held up his hand to stop him from speaking., "there's only a match because he is biologically related to your son."

"He can actually do this?" Bo fumed with anger.

"I'm afraid so." Mickey told him. "But I believe we have a very strong case and he doesn't stand a chance in court."

"I pray you're right." Julie exclaimed. "I don't know how much more this family can take."

…**the custody hearing…**

"Will the court please rise." The bailiff announced. "The honorable Judge Fitzpatrick presiding."

"You may be seated." Judge Karen Fitzpatrick looked over the case file before here. "I will now hear opening statements."

"Your honor." Mickey walked to the front of the court. "My clients believed their son Zack died in a tragic accident a little over three years ago. What they didn't know was their son had been mistakenly taken from them. They were recently reunited with the boy and have done everything they can to make his environment a safe and loving one." Mickey went on briefly with his statement explaining the type of people Bo and Hope are and how it was in the best interest Zack remain with his family. "So it is my belief that young Zack should remain in the sole custody of his parents Bo and Hope Brady."

"Thank you Mr. Horton. We'll here from the prosecution now." Judge Fitzpatrick looked over at Dougie's lawyer. "Mr. Lowe."

"Thank you your honor." Mr. Lowe, Dougie's lawyer, presented his case. "My client recently lost his wife in a tragic accident while driving their son to a visit with his grandparents. The boy was taken from my client and kept from him by the defendant while he grieved for the loss of his wife. He did everything in his power to get his son Jack back, going as far as getting a DNA test done to prove to them he is the boy's father." Mr. Lowe continued with his opening statement defending his client as an upstanding well to do man. "It is my belief that Jack should be returned to his father, his only living parent, immediately."

"Thank you Mr. Lowe."

The court proceedings continued through various statements from Dougie's acquaintances. They all told of what a wonderful father he was to the boy and what a stable home he provided for his son. Mickey redirected asking where he had been the past three years while his son was being dragged to countless doctors. "If he's such a loving father, why did he chose to move halfway around the world where he couldn't be with his son?" He asked the last witness. "Is that the kind of stable home you say this man is providing for his son?"

"I object." Mr. Lowe stated. "The defense is misleading the witness."

"I'll rephrase. In your opinion, is it in the best interest for a child to be separated from a parent by continents?"

"Overruled." Judge Fitzpatrick banged her gavel down. "Please answer the question."

"No."

"I have no more questions for this witness." Mickey went to sit back down.

"You may step down. If the prosecution has no more witnesses, we'll hear from the defense."

"I call Dr. Marlena Evans Black to the stand." Marlena walked up to take the stand.

"Raise your right hand." The bailiff placed a bible under her left hand. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do." Marlena took her seat.

"Please state your name and occupation." Mickey asked her.

"Dr. Marlena Evans Black. I am a psychologist."

"Thank you. Are you familiar with the case of Jack LeClair?""Yes I am."

"How did you first hear about Mr. LeClair's son?"

"Mrs. LeClair contacted me asking to review the case and see if I could be of some assistance to the boy." Marlena answered.

"Why did the boy need counseling?"

"He was suffering from depression. He hadn't spoken in over three years. Mrs. LeClair believed I could be of some help to her son." She told the court.

"Had you spoken to the boy?"

"No. I was supposed to meet him on March 3rd, but he missed his appointment.""Have you spoken to the boy in question since?" Mickey asked her.

"Yes I have. Zack Brady is a remarkable boy." Marlena stated.

"You refer to the boy in question as Zack Brady. Why is that?" Mickey asked.

"I believe he is Zack Brady. I've questioned him at length and he has no memories of ever being Jack LeClair; yet he possesses all the childhood memories of Zack Brady."

"In your professional opinion, who do you believe the boy is better off?"

"I believe he Brady's have provided a stable loving home for their son. Zack has become well adjusted to living with his family after being separated from them for so long. I believe it's in the best interest of Zack for him to remain with his biological parents, Bo and Hope Brady."

"Thank you Dr. Evans." Mickey turned to Lowe. "Your witness.""Dr. Evans. Is it true that you are a family friend of the Brady's, in fact weren't you once a Brady yourself?" Mr. Lowe questioned.

"I object. Dr. Evans relationship has no bearings on the case. She is a court approved counselor and has worked with the Salem PD on numerous cases through the years." Mickey stated.

"Sustained. Please keep your questions directed to the case itself."

Mr. Lowe fumbled with question after question making his client look far worse than he already did. "I have no more questions for this witness.""You may step down."

"I'd like to call Dr. Kayla Johnson to the stand." Mickey said.

Kayla made her way to the stand and was sworn in for testimony.

"Dr. Johnson. Are you the doctor who performed the DNA testing on the boy in question?" Mickey asked.

"I am."

"And what were the results of that test?"

"Zack Brady is 99.9 % the biological son of Bo and Hope Brady." She stated.

"And what were the results of Mr. LeClair?"

"47.1%."

"Would you please explain to the court how it is there is a 47.1% match to Mr. LeClair?"

"As I already explained to Mr. LeClair, in a case where DNA testing is done on a child who has a biological relation to the test subject, a slight match will show up. It is clear to me that the 99.9% match is the real parental match in this case. Mr. LeClair shares DNA by being the half sister to Zack's mother. An aunt or as in this case an uncle will have a match in DNA testing." Kayla stated.

"She's Bo Brady's sister. She's lying to protect her brother!" Dougie declared.

"Order in the court." The judge banged her gavel trying to bring order back after the disruptive outburst from Dougie.

Mickey continued with his questions. "If you were to be tested, seeing how you're the boy's aunt, would the results be the same for you as they are for Mr. LeClair?"

"When I heard Mr. LeClair was suing for custody, I took the liberty of having a DNA test done on me to prove to him that yes we would have the same ending results."

"And were those results the same?" Mickey asked."Yes." She answered.

"She's lying." Dougie yelled out.

"One more outburst from you and I'll have you removed from my courtroom." Judge Fitzpatrick declared.

"Will the court allow evidence of the DNA test of Kayla Johnson to be presented?" Mickey asked the judge.

"I will allow it." Mickey handed her the test results of Kayla Johnson. "I will take a short recess to go over all the evidence. This court is now in recess." She banged her gavel and left the courtroom for her chambers.

……

The judge returned to the courtroom and after everyone resumed their seats, she made an announcement. "After carefully reviewing all the evidence presented to me in this case, I can clearly see that the boy is indeed Zack Brady. I'm not even sure why this case made it's way to my courtroom in the first place. I feel that it is in the best interest of Zack, he should remain in the sole custody of his parents Mr. and Mrs. Brady."

"Your honor, my client hasn't even had a chance to present his case fully to the court." Mr. Lowe was saying.

"My ruling is final." Judge Fitzpatrick banged her gavel and rose from her chair to leave the courtroom.

Bo and Hope hugged. "It's over." Hope smiled and looked over at her brother's defeated face. "I should go talk to him.""No. Let him be for now. He's done enough already." Bo told her.

"Bo, he's family."

"Hope, I don't want to argue with you right now. I just want to go home and celebrate with our kids." Bo took her hand and led her out of the court. Dougie glared at them as they passed.

"This isn't over." He hissed.

"Dougie. How much more are you going to do to this family?" Doug asked him. "It's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is Zack. Please let it go. If not for the sake of the family, then for the sake of Zack. You know yourself he wasn't happy when he was with you and Carissa. You left because you couldn't deal with the problems it caused your marriage. How can you still want to pursue taking him from his real family where he is happy?"

"I can't let go of my son." Dougie stated.

"He's not your boy. I'm sorry, but your son was killed in a car accident over three years ago. It was a tragic accident, but he's gone. You have to grieve and move on from this." Doug tried to help him.

Something snapped within and Dougie saw the truth. "Where is he?" Dougie asked. "I want to see where he's buried."

Doug brought him to the cemetery where his son was buried. Dougie knelt down at the grave and brushed the dirt off the headstone. "Zack Brady. We'll have to get you a proper headstone Jack. One that bears your true name on it son. I'm so sorry I didn't know." Dougie broke down in tears finally allowing himself to grieve for his son. Doug kept his distance while Dougie talked to his sons grave. "My poor boy. How could I not have known it wasn't you?" Dougie leaned his head against the headstone and cried into it. After awhile, he rose and asked Doug to take him to Hope's house.

……

"Mom, Dad. You're back already? Is it good news?" Shawn asked his parents upon their entry.

"The judge ruled in our favor." Hope gushed. "Where's Zack?"

"He's upstairs with Ciara and Claire." Shawn told her.

She raced upstairs to see him. Hope could hear laughter coming from Ciara's room. She pushed open the door and found the twokids playing with blocks. It was the biggest tower she had ever seen either one build. Zack took his toy truck and rammed it into the base of the tower causing it to crash over as Ciara squealed with laughter. "Want to do it again?" He asked his sister who nodded yes. Hope looked on as they helped each other build it back up again. Bo walked up behind her and asked what was taking so long. She placed a finger over her lips motioning him to be quiet as they watched their children playing happily together. Zack turned his head and noticed his parents watching them. He smiled back before offering some blocks to Ciara to place on the top. She tried to reach the top, but caused the blocks to fall over again. The two children erupted with laughter again. "I think we should let them alone." Hope shut the door on the playful scene and she and Bo made their way back down to the living room.

"I wonder what's keeping your father." Julie paced around the room.

"Where is Grandpa?" Shawn asked.

"He was talking to Dougie trying to smooth things over." Julie told him.

"Why even bother? He tried to take Zack away from us. He lost, so now we have to take him back into the family?" Shawn got up off the couch.

"Shawn. He's been through a lot. And now he has to deal with the fact that he lost his son and never got the chance to say goodbye to him. We know what it's like to lose someone we love. Look what it did to this family when we thought Zack had died. You go out of your mind with grief."

"I'm going to grab a drink. Anyone want anything?" Shawn asked as he stormed off to the kitchen.

"He'll be okay. He just needs to blow off some steam." Bo grabbed Hope to keep her from going to him. "Where's Belle at?"

"She and Claire went to visit Sami and the twins." Julie informed them.

The doorbell rang and Hope went to answer it. Doug and Dougie stood in her doorway.

"Can I come in?" Dougie asked her. "I feel I owe you an apology."

Hope moved aside so he could enter. Doug lovingly caressed her cheek before going to Julie.

"I felt like he was my last link to Carissa. I was so caught up in my grief and my failure as both a husband and a father, that I clung to the idea that he was really my son. I'm sorry for that and for the trouble I caused you. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted my son." Dougie explained to Hope.

Zack and Ciara made their way downstairs. Zack stopped on the bottom step when he saw Dougie. He looked over at his father and ran to his side. Bo wrapped his arm around Zack's shoulder.

"Hey buddy. I'm not here to take you away. I know now that you're not my son. I'm sorry I hurt you." Dougie bent down next to him. "I'm sorry I kept you away from your parents for so long. I didn't know you were theirs." Dougie reached up to ruffle his hair. "I hope you have a wonderful life with your family." He rose and turned to leave.

"Dougie?" Hope called to him.

"I'm sorry Hope. I think it's best if I leave and go home to France. I wish the best for you and your family." Hope hugged him and he left.

"Mommy. Are we a real family now?" Zack asked her.

"Baby, we've always been a real family. We always will be." She walked over to him and kissed the top of his head. She drew Zack and Ciara into her embrace. Bo wrapped his arms around the three of them. "Everything's going to be okay now." Hope smiled down at her children.


End file.
